In recent years, a vehicle that has a power storage device (such as a rechargeable battery or a capacitor) incorporated therein and travels with driving force generated from electric power stored in the power storage device is attracting attention as an environmentally friendly vehicle. Such a vehicle includes, for example, an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, and the like. A technique has been proposed for charging the power storage device that is mounted on such a vehicle from an efficiently power generating, commercial power supply.
As well as an electric vehicle, there is also a hybrid vehicle known as a vehicle that allows a power supply external to the vehicle (hereinafter also simply referred to as an “external power supply”) to be used to charge a power storage device mounted thereon (hereinafter also simply referred to as “external charging”). For example, a so called “plug-in hybrid vehicle” is known that allows a power storage device to be charged by a power supply in a general household by connecting a power outlet of a house and a charging port of the vehicle via a charging cable. It can thus be expected that a hybrid vehicle achieves more efficient fuel consumption.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2010-165596 (PTD 1) discloses a technique helping to insert a connector of a charging connector into a charging port (hereinafter also referred to as an “inlet”) of an externally chargeable vehicle as described above.